11.18.12 — Star-Cross'd Lovers

 

James Northcote's painting, depicting the last scene of Romeo & Juliet

 

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.

 

William Shakespeare ~ Romeo And Juliet Prologue, 1–8

 

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Sunday, November 18, 2012

 

STAR-CROSSED LOVERS, Puzzle by Timothy Polin 

Edited by Will Shortz

Five epic films with star-crossed lovers and the actors who portrayed them, provides the interrelated group of this passionate Sunday crossword:

 

CECILIA AND ROBBIE (24A. “Atonement), KEIRA (16D. Knightly who played half of 24-Across) and JAMES (13D. McAvoy who played half of 24-Across)

 

ILSA AND RICK (64A. “Casablanca”), INGRID (36D. Bergman who played half of 64-Across) and HUMPHREY (33D. Bogart who played half of 64-Across)

 

SCARLETT AND RHETT (105A. “Gone With the Wind”), VIVIEN (80D. Leigh who played half of 105-Across) and CLARK (87D. Gable who played half of 105-Across)

 

LARA AND YURI (3D. “Doctor Zhivago”), JULIE (3A. Christie who played half of 3-Down) and OMAR (57A. Sharif who played half of 3-Down)

 

ROSE AND JACK (67D. “Titanic”), KATE (82A. Winslet who played half of 67-Down) and LEONARDO (111A. DiCaprio who played half of 67-Down)

 

Each character name in the couple is "crossed" by the "star" that played him/her.

 

Other — CRIB SHEET (10D. Pony), ELECTRONS (74D. Parts of some bonds), IDI / AMIN (69A. With 8-Down, deposer of Milton Obote), INBREEDS (18A. Promotes recessive traits, say), SMART-ASS (53D. Wise guy).

 

Mid-size — BERRIED (20A. Picked some fruit), CAVILS (94A. Nitpicks), COTERIE, DAHLIA, DOC OCK (55D. Tentacled “Spider-Man“ meanie), DRAKE’S, GESTAPO, GET THIS, HOOKAH, JANE ROE, LISTENS, MOB BOSS, NETBOOK, OCEANIA (41D. “1984“ superstate), PARSONS, “Appointment in SAMARRA“, SAUCIER, SEATERS, SENDAI (35A. Honshu city devastated by the 2011 tsunami), SENIOR, SHATTER, SITARS (14D. Double-bridged instruments), SKI HAT, SPEECH, ST OLAV, TARNISH, TERRORS (28A. Holy ones are hard to handle), TRACTS, TRENDED, UMBRIAN (2D. From Assisi, e.g.).

 

 

Five-letter —ABATE, ACT AS, “Take A DEEP breath“, AGAIN, AMPED, ARRAS, AT SEA, BLOTS, CREEL, ECOLI, ERECT, ERTES, FED ON, FLARE, GO MAD (38D. Lose touch with reality), G-SPOT, GUIDE, I LOSE, KREME, MAMBO, NYLON, OAKEN, PART A, ROANS, SCRAP, SNORE, SNOOD, TACIT, TSKED.

 

 

Short stuff — ABLE, AHAS, AHL, ARIA, BIBI, BRO, B-TEN, BUS, CBC, C MAJ, COOL, EGOS, ELOI, GABS, HERA, ILE and IRE, IN A minute, IRRS, Richard JENI, MENU, NUS, OISE, OLIN, OPIE, ORA, OSX, PAX Americana, POCO, PSS, RAGA (17A. Indian melody), RBI, RAH, RANT, Baba au RHUM, SAO, SEVE Ballesteros, SLED, SOAR, TAT, TERA, TITS, TOMS, TTYL, YECH, YOND.

 

 

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Click on image to enlarge.

 

Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

Remaining clues — ACROSS: 6. Epiphanies; 10. Key of Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony: Abbr.; 14. John O’Hara’s “Appointment in ___”; 16. Doughnut ingredient, commercially; 18. Promotes recessive traits, say; 22. Religious scholar; 23. Prefix with byte; 27. Dame Joan Sutherland delivery; 29. Some clerics; 30. Equine shades; 32. Section of the Medicare law covering hospital and nursing care; 33. Kind of bar; 37. Signature followers, for short; 38. Lighthouse, e.g.; 39. Freudian mediators; 43. O’er there; 45. Drum kit components; 46. Elocution; 48. A large one offers many courses; 51. Ties up a phone line, maybe; 54. Psyched (up); 56. Floundering; 59. Team booster; 60. Mac platform; 62. Needlework, for short?; 63. Moniker for Israel’s Netanyahu; 67. Air all of one’s grievances, say; 68. Dude; 70. Safety squeeze result, for short; 71. Future race of fiction; 72. Moppet of black-and-white TV; 73. Made of a sturdy wood; 75. Sub for; 77. “Not broccoli again!”; 78. Shoot up; 79. Canonized Norwegian king; 81. Something taken by a scout; 85. Phrase of resignation; 87. Toronto media inits.; 90. Developers’ purchases; 96. Certain S.O.S.; 98. Borefest; 99. Lead-in to a juicy rumor; 102. Ushers; 104. Guess in Battleship; 108. Late comic Richard; 109. Somewhat, in music; 110. Stripped-down laptop; 113. Ammunition giant; 114. Like the strings on many tennis rackets; 115. Specialty chef; 116. Small songbirds; 117. Vehicle to take over a jump; 118. Expressed audible admonishment. — DOWN: 1. Anonymous female in a court case; 4. It may be drawn in a fight; 5. On end; 6. Hanging tapestry; 7. Vindictive one, in myth; 8. See 69-Across; 9. Pea body?; 11. Cousin of the rumba; 12. Over; 19. Ditch; 20. Bad marks; 21. Coffee Cakes maker; 25. Sale bin items: Abbr.; 26. Sessanta minuti; 31. ___ Miguel Island; 34. Department north of Paris; 40. Feared force; 42. Smash; 44. Colorful perennial; 45. Besmirch; 48. Don; 49. Umm al-Quwain, e.g.; 50. Novelist who translated “Alice in Wonderland” into Russian; 52. Clear tables; 53. Wise guy; 61. Snow cap?; 65. Tail off; 66. Terre in the eau zone?; 74. Parts of some bonds; 76. Hunky-dory; 83. ___-80 (early home computer); 86. Is a good friend, in a way; 88. Financial shellacking; 89. Lobster trap; 91. Clique; 92. Changed in popularity; 93. Snowbird, typically; 95. Calder cup org.; 96. Ate; 97. “Symphony in Black” and others; 99. Subject of a 1982 best seller on sexuality; 100. Cause for a health panic; 101. Assumed, say; 102. Cafeteria worker’s headgear; 103. Summer ermine; 106. Texter’s “ciao”; 107. Talented; 112. Lowercase letters resembling v’s.